The Newcomer
by Sir Number 2
Summary: After a series of devastating losses, the Administrator decides to help the RED team out. By giving them a mysterious new teammate.
1. You've Got Mail

Medic looked up at the darkening sky. It looked like rain was coming. Maybe it was an omen of what was to come. The REDs have been suffering a recent string of losses. The whole team was down, and it wasn't helping the fighting spirit. The only one who still felt like fighting was Soldier, but that seemed a given.

The weary German brought his gaze back to the RED base. With a shuffling of feet, Medic walked back into the base. As soon as he went through the door, he could feel the sense of depression in the air. Heavy had been waiting for him.

"Are you okay doctor?" He asked, concerned. "Ja, ja." Medic said dismissively. Heavy's face fell to the ground and Medic felt a twang of pity. There was some internal fighting going on in the RED team. Heavy had gotten the brunt of a lot of it, as he was the one expected to get the most kills and support the others.

Medic sighed and left for the infirmary. He closed the door behind him and sat down in his chair heavily. The look on his face spoke volumes about his stress levels. Medic finally leaned forward over his desk and shuffled through the mail. One envelope in particular caught his eye. It was from Admin.

He picked it up and opened it with a scalpel that he used as a letter opener. Separating the parchment from the envelope, he opened it gingerly.

"To the Reliable Excavations and Digging Medic,

Eleven losses in a row is a poor performance. Redmond Mann has decided to bring in a new mercenary to even the odds. On the Twenty Second day of October, you will receive your new teammate. It will be your duty to introduce him to the team and the base. I trust you can handle this matter with the upmost professionalism.

The Administrator"

Medic's eyes widened as he read the paper. October 22nd was tomorrow. Then he became frustrated. There was no information at all about this newcomer, other than the date he was to arrive. What if the new mercenary became a liability? Medic frowned and closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to rub his temple. Tossing the paper back on his desk, Medic resigned to going to his bed. After changing clothes, he settled under the covers. An onset of rain started to pound on the windows. Given the night's events, Medic found it hard to sleep that night.

October 22 7:30 AM

The loud beeping of Medic's alarm clock brought the German out of his fitful sleep.The Medic's hand fumbled as it turned the alarm off. Dragging himself out of bed, Medic prepared himself for the day's battle. Stepping out into the foyer, that's when Medic remembered the new arrival. The foyer was abuzz with chatter as they all discussed who it might be. It seemed that everybody had gotten a memo.

Outside, the sounds of tires squealed to a stop and the room turned into a standstill. The bus doors opened with a hiss and out stepped a mercenary.

"Nein…" Medic whispered to himself.


	2. Tech and Teammates

Author's note: Sorry for such a short first chapter. I meant for it to be a sort of "Test" to see how you guys liked a sample of my writing. After receiving positive news, I decided to continue with The Newcomer. Hope you enjoy.

Red suit. Red mask. It was none other than a Spy. He held himself in such a way as to exude confidence and professionalism. A lit cigarette dangled loosely from his lips. The masked man brought one hand up and took the cigarette away, flicking it to the ground before suffocating it with the heel of his shoe. He cleared his throat before saying, "Gentlemen." It was more of a statement than anything, as if he was merely acknowledging the presence of the others.

Medic stepped forward and made a small gulp. "Yes, er, you are zhe new teammate?" He said, unsure of what else to say. "Indeed." The Spy said, giving Medic a look that said 'Obviously'. "Vell zhen, I vill have to show you around." The Spy swept his arm out, a go ahead gesture.

Medic nodded and said, "Zhis is zhe team, Demoman," With that said, a black, Scottish Cyclops rose his hand in acknowledgement. "Zhe Heavy," The heavy weapons guy gave a small smile and a wave. "Zhe Sniper," A lanky looking Australian tipped his hat towards the Spy. "Zhe Pyro," Somebody clad in a fireproof looking suit clapped his hands and giggled, seeming to anybody other than RED team as a very childish and not dangerous person. "Zhe Scout," The young Bostonian gave a cocky grin and tipped his chin up. "Zhe Soldier," A gruff looking man snapped to attention, giving a tight salute. Medic ignored that and continued. "And zhe Engineer." A man wearing goggles and a hard hat smiled a lopsided grin and nodded his head.

Spy nodded to each of them in turn. When Medic finished, the Spy gave him an expectant look. "Vell, I vill show you around now." Medic said, gesturing for the Spy to follow. The Spy strode forward and started to follow the Medic.

Five minutes later

Medic stopped in front of Spy's new room. "And zhis is your room." Spy nodded and entered. He glanced around the room, taking in the red themed floor, walls, and ceiling. There was a simple bed with a simple red blanket and sheets. Next to the simple bed was a simple nightstand, with a simple red lamp. "I hate it." The Spy said quite simply. "Vell, you can alvays change it." Medic said, a little taken aback by what the Frenchman said. The Spy nodded and strode over to the closet and opened it. Inside was about six red suits. On the floor of the closet was a red chest.

The Spy bent down and undid the latches, opening the chest. It was nearly bare, holding only a revolver, butterfly knife, wrist watch, and cigarette case. The Spy picked up each item and inspected it. The revolver had a black metal finish, with a white grip. The butterfly was nothing special. The Spy picked up the wrist watch and put it on. At first glance, it didn't seem very special. Except that it didn't tell time. The Spy messed with some of the buttons, hoping that he could at least get the time. He was actually quite surprised when his arm disappeared in front of him. 'An invisibility watch,' The Spy thought. 'Like something out of a James Bond movie.' The administrator hadn't briefed him on his equipment, so all of this was very new to him. All she mentioned technology related was the respawn system. The spy was slightly disappointed when the cloak ran out, but thought that some invisibility was better than none. The last item the Spy picked up with new interest. What wonders could this unremarkable case do? He opened it, was pleased that it actually had some cigarettes in it, and examined the buttons. Upon closer inspection, Spy found that after pressing either a red or blue button, the images of all the classes lit up. After choosing RED Engineer, he was disappointed when it spat out a paper mask. That was it? No magical technology? The Spy snapped the disguise kit closed angrily and crumpled up the paper mask, throwing it away over his shoulder.

The Spy finally stood up, pocketing his new items. Medic had been watching from the doorway with intrigued interest. The Frenchman turned to him, "What do you want?" he said accusingly. Medic gave a small shrug and walked away. The Medic thought about the newcomer as he walked to the foyer. Sure the man looked dangerous, but here looks counted for almost nothing. At first glance, the Scout looked like an excited and not dangerous kid. While he was excited, he was also dangerous. Medic had watched as the nimble Bostonian jumped over enemies, only to blast them in the back with his scattergun. And the Pyro… His demeanor was close to childish, but the acts that monstrosity performed on the battlefield made even the Medic squeamish.

"Hey doc! Doc doc doc doc doc d-" Medic's thoughts were interrupted by the ecstatic squeals of Scout. "Vhat!?" Medic snapped. The Scout was totally unfazed by Medic's outburst. "What's he like, huh?" Said the young Bostonian, who was practically bouncing. Medic sighed. "I know almost nothing about him." Medic said wearily. The Scout looked a bit crestfallen but scampered away to bug Sniper. When Medic entered the foyer, it was abuzz with chatter. Everybody was talking about the new and mysterious Frenchman.

"My mom said she knew a Frenchman!" Scout said excitedly to Sniper. "Said he was real nice and handsome!" To which the Sniper replied, "Why don't ya marry him then ya little buggah? Leave me alone fer once." Soldier was talking to the Demoman. "Our new private better be able to pull his own weight!" Soldier exclaimed. The Demoman nodded drunkenly, "He seems like *burp* a good man…" Pyro was standing in a group with Heavy and Engineer. Pyro was bobbing his head in agreement to everything either one of them said. By not being a part of the conversation, the strange thing was somehow also being a part of the conversation. "Fransitsky seems like good man." Heavy said in his broken English. "I hope he's not like the other spy." The engineer said. "Sappin' mah teleporters." He grumbled afterwards.

Medic was about to call out to the team when he was interrupted by a burst of static from the intercom. Everybody fell silent, wondering what was going on. Soon, the administrator's voice hissed over the speakers, "Mission begins in one hour."


	3. Gladiator

The RED Spy looked up at one of the loudspeakers. The Admin's words rang through his head. 'Mission begins in one hour.' He thought. His first day and there was already a match. The Spy left his room and headed towards the foyer, where he might be able to get some new information. As soon as his foot crossed the threshold, everybody fell silent. The Spy stopped where he was, looking at all the mercenaries before him. Medic was the first to speak. "Ah, Spy-" He was abruptly cut off by soldier.

"I hope you can fight!" Soldier screamed, stomping in his Soldier fashion until he was only half a foot away from the Spy. The Frenchman put one hand on Soldier's chest and pushed gently. He was stronger than he looked, pushing Soldier back a foot. "Probably better than you." He said calmly. "We were doing just fine without you!" Soldier screamed. "Eleven failures in a row is not 'Fine'." Everybody was transfixed by Soldier's sudden outburst, and how the new Spy was reacting. "Just fine, MAGGOT!" Soldier definitely did not like the Spy's collected responses. He had to show the newcomer who was the boss. The Spy, however, refused to be cowed. He stared right into the Soldier's eyes with an icy gaze that looked like it could cut through steel.

"Leave. Me. Alone." The Spy said menacingly. "Or what!?" Soldier screamed. Less than a second passed before Spy's fist was on a crash course with Soldier's jaw. It was a powerful jab, one that was performed so as not to be predicted. The blow landed solidly, snapping Soldier's head back and causing his helmet to fall to the ground with a loud clatter. The Spy didn't stop there; He stepped forward, dropping his level and slamming his elbow into Soldier's sternum. He desperately clutched at his chest, stunned and gasping for breath. The Spy finished his combo, putting both hands on Soldier's head and pulling down, bringing his knee up at the same time. His knee connected, hard, the poor American sent flying back a foot.

The Spy glanced down at Soldier's unconscious body. His breathing was even and not a bead of sweat was on his face. He brushed some imaginary dust off his suit and calmly walked away.

RED Infirmary

The Soldier was laying on Medic's operating table. It didn't take a doctor to know that he wasn't in good shape. Blood flowed freely from the Soldier's nose for at least six minutes. An X-ray revealed that his sternum bone was bruised. Sure, Medic could have healed him immediately, but he wanted to know what exactly the Spy was capable of. The synopsis: A lot. After the examination, Medic swiveled over his ceiling medi-gun and trained its healing beam on the Soldier. After Medic was done, Soldier immediately tried to get up, but Medic stopped him. "Nein, you need to rest." He said, putting his hand on Soldier's chest and pushing him back down.

Soldier grumbled but relented. "Stay here." Medic said, putting a large emphasis on stay. He walked out of the infirmary, heading towards Spy's room. Medic paused at the door, smelling cigarette smoke. He walked in without bothering to knock, but he couldn't see anybody. His confusion quickly only grew when he felt the familiar barrel of a gun press against his temple. A few seconds passed and the feeling went away.

"Vhy?" Medic said aloud. The Spy materialized. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, cigarette in one hand and revolver in the other. "Because, 'e deserved it." He said, taking a drag of his cigarette. "You could have killed him." Medic said, crossing his arms. "Respawn." Spy said unfazed. Medic sighed and shook his head in a disapproving way. "You shouldn't have done it." The Spy replied saying, "But I did." It was obvious now to Medic that no amount of back and forth talking would convince the Spy that what he did was wrong. Sure, Soldier was a jerk sometimes but he had the team's best interests in heart. Medic promptly left the room. Hearing the door shut behind him, he continued down the hallway down to the foyer. Every time Medic entered the large room, it seemed that everybody was trying to say something at once.

Medic cleared his throat and said loudly, "Attention!" Nobody even looked at him. Apparently, he needed to be louder. "ATTENTION!" He yelled. This time, everybody stopped talking for a moment and turned towards him. "Zhe Soldier vill be ok, but I advise anybody in zhe future to not provoke zhe Spy. Do not, provoke, the Spy." He repeated. A few heads nodded and there was some whispering. Medic was about to say something, but for about the third time today, he was cut off by the loudspeaker.

"Mission begins in 30 minutes."


End file.
